作者: puma8811 時間: 2008-8-15 07:27 PM 標題: Milan In For Alonso?
Another name has been added to the list of suitors for Xabi Alonso, as AC Milan have now been linked with the Liverpool midfielder...
Alonso's future has been up in the air all summer long, as the Reds' pursuit of Gareth Barry was expected to signal the end of the Spaniard's stay at Anfield.
Indeed, the Basque playmaker seemed certain to make the switch to Juventus before joining up with la Seleccion for their successful EURO 2008 campaign, but that move collapsed after the clubs failed to agree a fee.
And reports from England suggest that Juve's rivals, Milan, are now set to make a move for the 26-year-old.
The Rossoneri know Alonso's qualities all too well, having come up against the former Real Sociedad man in two Champions League finals.
Carlo Ancelotti's squad already boasts an abundance of midfield talent with the likes of Mathieu Flamini, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo - the latter of whom is stylistically quite similar to Alonso.
Furthermore, the Merseyside club are now very unlikely to sell the crafty centre-man after calling off their pursuit of Barry, whose £18million price-tag proved too steep.
Hence, this link can perhaps be attributed to the fact Alonso is cup-tied after playing in Liverpool's Champions League qualifier against Standard Liege, thus diminishing his value in the eyes of Arsenal, Internazionale, et al.
Milan, however, are in the UEFA Cup, meaning the player would still be able to feature in European competition if he move to il Diavolo.
But the switch remains a very remote possibility, and the San Siro club would have to fork out at least £15million to land their man.作者: puma8811 時間: 2008-8-15 07:28 PM 標題: Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has refused to rule out the possibility of selling X
The Spain international appears to have become the victim of the Reds' continued pursuit of Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry.
He has the full support of the Anfield faithful, though, who backed him throughout Friday's friendly against Lazio, while also displaying their opposition towards any move for Barry.
However, Benitez appears to have turned a deaf ear to the views from the terraces, admitting that a suitable offer could yet see him part with a popular member of his squad.
Price
"We knew Alonso was a very good player and as a result he had a good price (on his head). We had offers, but they were not enough so we decided he needed to stay with us," said the Spanish coach.
"It could be that he does stay with us.
"For me it is not a problem if he stays or not. He can stay, we always have felt he is a good player.
"We are only talking about a very, very good price. He is a good player, if he is not going to bring a good price then it is very simple, easy to understand.
"I heard the crowd, obviously. We know now, as we knew before, that he could stay with us."
Possibilities
Benitez needs to sell in order to fund any potential bid for Barry and admits that there are likely to be changes within the Reds camp before the new season gets underway.
"It is not positive that we may not have the players we want here before the Champions League game," he said.
"But the transfer window closes at the end of August, we will try to do our best to bring in the players to improve us by then.
"I try to do the best for my club with the possibilities that you have, I have done this every year since I have been here. And I am trying to do the same for this coming season.
"I do not feel any more pressure, every season is the same. We have a good squad, better than before, but we can improve a little bit more."
